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Gone are the days of boring carrot sticks and frozen carrot rounds!  This wholesome root vegetable, when prepared well, can become a new family favorite!  Sweet, savory and salty, these Parmesan Carrot Fries are fun to eat and a yummy side dish to roasted chicken, grilled beef OR black bean burgers, or baked pork chops.

When it comes to feeding a family that isn’t fond of every veggie under the rainbow, I have learned a few things:

1. Serve ‘sweet veggies’ more often
2. Use names and language that makes them sound fun
3. Invite kids to help you prepare them

Sweet veggies?  What?!

Many vegetables have sweet undertones, but we don’t always notice because we tend to eat sugary foods and drink sweetened beverages that desensitize our taste receptors.  However, as we gradually choose less foods and beverages with added sugars to serve ourselves and our kids we will begin to notice that a lot of plants are actually sweet!  

Carrots are no exception!  Most root vegetables have natural sugars and starches that make them great options to help our kids adopt a liking for a variety of veggies.  And, when we use certain cooking methods like roasting, it intensifies the sweetness even more.

Don’t Forget a Fun Name

While many hopeful parents will get the dreaded “No!” when asking their kids if they would like a serving of vegetables.  But ask a kid if they want some fries and you are likely to hear otherwise. Creating interesting names that make the veggies sound more appealing just might be a trick that works for you!  For example, we can offer ‘broccoli trees showered with white parmesan snow’ OR we can serve ‘flower cucumbers’ by using a simple cookie cutter. You can even serve ‘bell pepper boats’ (use the mini bell peppers cut in half) with their favorite dip.  

I don’t have time to make creative art work with our food like I see on Pinterest and Instagram.  Most days, just getting a meal prepared and on table is tough enough. BUT I don’t mind thinking up fun names and ways of looking at foods to help make them more appealing for my kids.  Hence, Parmesan Carrot Fries…

A Parent Trick…

Kids love to do things when it is their idea.  My daughter has tried so many new foods when we have been ‘cooking’ because she thinks she is snagging a bite. The satisfaction watching her try new foods in this non-threatening environment makes me want to do a little dance! McKaela refused carrots for months until she began helping a bit here and there when I was preparing them. Hearing her ask for them is music to my ears!

Parmesan Carrot Fries are delicious and the name just might entice those, little and big, who aren’t always interested in the veggies on the dinner table.  The recipe is also super simple and quick to throw together- an easy one if you want to grab a child to help you out!

My almost 3 year old likes to help wash the carrots, add in all the seasonings and stir them up.  Don’t forget to talk about eating lots of colors of the rainbow!

Let’s get cooking…

If you end up with extra carrots hanging around your produce drawer, try these dessert-like Carrot Cake Snack Balls!  Of course, this Butternut Carrot Ginger Soup is divine on a chilly or rainy night!  And for more veggie ideas, find out how to easily add them to your family favorite recipes.

Eating more veggies isn’t hard when wholesome ingredients are prepared well.  Go grab a bunch of carrots and a few seasoning to roast up these easy Parmesan Carrot Fries!  Oh, and grab a kid to help you out!